


you left me stained, called it art

by Snickerdoodles143



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: BAMF Women, Education, F/F, F/M, Female Friendship, Imprinting, Leah Clearwater Deserved Better, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Sex, Spitefic, s meyers portrayal of the wolf pack was highkey racist, sorry but twilight was a horrible example of relationships for teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:49:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29687688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snickerdoodles143/pseuds/Snickerdoodles143
Summary: In which Iara is home for a hopefully quiet summer, but Jacob Black has decided to make himself her problem.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jacob Black/Original Female Character(s), Leah Clearwater & Original Female Character(s), Leah Clearwater/Original Female Character(s), Leah Clearwater/Sam Uley, Quil Ateara V/Embry Call
Comments: 18
Kudos: 39





	1. A is for Alcohol

She loved coming home from college. The weather was always rainy, the sky overcast and grey, a stark contrast to the lush shades of green and blue that made up the forests. Their home on the edge of the boundary between La Push and Forks was large and open, made of hardwood floors, huge windows, and plush furniture on one hundred acres of forested land.

Her parents, much like her, loved their personal time and space, expecting as little conversation from her as she did from them. They spent their weekends together, sitting in their preferred, well-worn armchairs in their home library, quietly reading or, in her case, studying.

She was never as much at peace as she was when she was at home.

On the other hand, the town made her want to rip her hair out piece by piece from the roots.

Small towns were nosy by nature, and Forks was a _very small_ town. There was little to gossip about, and her family was an easy target.

Until the Cullens arrived her senior year, the Alaa family was one of the town's favorite conversations- just behind Nathan Stanley's affair with a woman up in Port Angeles and Chief Swan's flighty ex-wife.

Since she’d graduated two years ago, she’d avoided going into town for a reason.

This is why when her parents warned her about the upcoming renovations that would force them out of the house for a month from 8 am to 4 pm, she'd stomped her foot, smacked her head against the dining table, and sulked for a week.

Despite her above-average talent for whining, the renovations started as scheduled, and Iara found herself studying at a small wooden table at the little diner- and the only restaurant- in La Push.

She finds herself falling into a quick schedule within the first few days. She comes early and orders unlimited coffee. She studies until four, cleans off the table she used, and tips well. It's quiet, and she _almost_ feels as content as she is when she’s at home.

Later, she'll reflect that she probably jinxed herself by acknowledging that.

For now, someone is clearing their throat repeatedly to get her attention. She can hear them over her blaring headphones, but she knows it's not the waitress, so she refuses to look up until she finished reading her section.

She makes a quick note- _oxy-Hb is more negatively charged than deoxy-Hb-_ and then looks up. And up. And up at a tall, tan boy with shaggy dark hair and a wide smile.

She pulls out a headphone and raises a brow in question.

“Hi!” he greets quickly. He's bouncing on his heels, practically vibrating in excitement, and he looks familiar. "Ara, right?"

“I-ara,” she corrects.

“I-ara,” he repeats, over-pronouncing the first syllable. She doesn’t correct him again, resigned to the fate suffered by those with an even slightly-foreign name.

“I’m Seth. Seth Clearwater,” he introduces himself and slides into the chair across from her. She wants to get up and leave, but she recognizes his last name.

She hums. "Clearwater? Like Leah Clearwater?" she asks, gesturing to the waitress that's always on shift when she's at the diner.

“Yeah!” Seth confirms, turning around to grin at his sister. Leah, for her part, looks as annoyed as Iara feels. They share a grimace in camaraderie before Leah serves the only other group of customers at the diner.

It's a group of tall, muscled, and tanned men. They're sitting three tables away, trying desperately not to look like they're watching her and Seth's conversation. They're failing spectacularly.

She squints and faintly recognizes their tattoos as wolf tribal patterns. Then it clicks, “Oh!” she exclaims. “You were with that creep on Monday,” she accuses Seth.

One of the men's shoulders tightens, and Iara tries to smoother a smirk. She loves being right.

Seth blushes, his ears turning bright pink, and Iara has to admit that while the boy shows poor judgment in his taste of friends, he's adorable.

Scrubbing his palms together nervously, Seth replies, “Uhh, well, he’s not really a creep. Jake’s really cool!”

Iara must look unimpressed because Seth’s eyes flicker wildly across the books she’s been studying, desperately trying to change the subject. 

“You’re taking chemistry?” Seth asks, pointing to an amino acid chart. “So is Jake’s friend, Bella!” She hears a heavy sigh from the men and stifles her own. Why’d the kid have to speak with so much punctuation?

“Biochemistry,” Iara clarifies.

Seth furrows his brow and asks, "They offer that at Forks High?"

“I’m in my second year of university,” Iara says. His brows raise sky-high, and she almost laughs at how expressive Seth is. Before he can ask more questions, she firmly asks, "Seth, is there something you needed?"

He pauses, unsure at her stern tone, but quickly shakes his head like a puppy before he answers, “There’s a bonfire on Third Beach tonight. Do you wanna come?”

Iara frowns and shoots a glance at Leah. The other girl’s spine is rigid, and her jaw is tight. Iara doesn’t want to be unkind to her only acquaintance- _friend?-_ in Forks’ brother, but she also doesn’t want to go to a bonfire in May with a bunch of strangers.

She hems and haws for a moment before saying, “I’m actually going to Port Angeles tonight.”

Seth stammers, obviously having expected her to say yes. He looks at the men behind them as if asking for help before turning and staring at her sadly with puppy dog eyes.

“Is there anything else you needed?” Iara asks again, hoping to press her advantage and have him leave.

He hesitates, and Iara grins victoriously. “Great, will you tell your sister I need a refill whenever she’s free?”

He nods and stumbles to his feet. She waves goodbye, making it clear their conversation was over, before rolling her shoulders back and pulling a pen from her hair.

She's about to start reading again when Leah shuffles over and pours her a refill. The coffee smells amazing, and she knows Leah was lovely enough to put the hazelnut powder she saves for herself in the grinder.

“Sorry about him,” she mutters quietly, without really looking at Iara. Something about the tight lines around her eyes and the way the tallest man looks at Leah with equal parts condemnation and possession makes Iara uncomfortable.

Before she can stop herself- and remind herself that her trip to Port Angeles was a blatant lie- Iara reaches out to tap on Leah’s wrist. Her skin is hot, too hot to be comfortable, but Iara doesn’t comment. “Do you work late?”

Leah pauses, the coffee carafe midair, and grits her teeth. A few seconds pass by, and Leah's head cocks to the left like she's listening for something. "No," she finally answers.

“I’m going out tonight. Want to come with?” before Leah can say no, Iara presses forward, “They don’t usually check IDs, but I have a fake, and you look at least 23."

“Are you meeting people there?” Leah asks, setting the carafe on the table, neatly avoiding the stacks of lined paper Iara has chaotically- and carefully- assembled into notes.

Iara shakes her head in the negative and smirks. “Nah, I just haven’t gotten drunk and had mediocre sex since I got back from university. Seems like a good night to do it.”

Leah’s face goes slack at Iara’s blunt words, and Iara thinks she hears someone choking. _Probably Seth,_ she thinks to herself, laughing. Eavesdroppers deserve what they get. The table the men are at creaks loudly, but Iara ignores them.

She looks Iara over, head to toe, taking in the long strands of tangled hair and the fluffy socks she’s wearing. Iara’s not sure what she’s looking for, but Leah seems to find it.

Leah throws her head back in laughter, wild howls of disbelief and amusement. She hears someone growling, and the group of men quickly hurry out of the front door. Leah continues to laugh and laugh and laugh before she finally slides into the seat across from Iara and smiles, bright and wild.

"Yeah, I'll come," she says, and Iara grins as well.

Outside, a wolf howls.

XXX

They meet a few hours later when Iara picks Leah up from a small two-story, painted dark green with yellow shutters. Iara debates knocking, but Leah comes out in a flurry of activity a moment after she parks, Seth close behind her.

“Hey,” Iara greets through the rolled-down window.

Leah's fists are clenched when she nods in response and then offers, "Seth said he'd drive us up, so we can both drink."

Iara scrunches her nose dubiously. “He’s just going to sit outside and wait while we get drunk?”

Leah shrugs, and Seth nods, looking far too excited to sit in a hot car for the night.

“Yeah, no,” Iara says. "That's very sweet," she begins, carefully choosing the word sweet to describe whatever was going on instead of a less kind option. "But, when I told my dad we were going up to Port Angeles, he booked us a room at the Lodge for the night."

Leah looks relieved. She shoves Seth aside, and Iara is impressed that she has enough strength to move her huge brother. Seth frowns and is about to speak, but Iara’s on a tight schedule- there’s only so much time to hop so many bars- so she smiles tightly and reverses out of the Clearwater’s lot.

The car is silent, save the sound of their breathing. Iara takes a moment to look over Leah. She’s wearing a low-cut tank-top and tight jeans, and Iara is jealous of the other girl's tall and lithe figure.

They speak at the same time.

“You look hot,” Iara states.

“Thanks for picking me up,” Leah mumbles.

They pause and then, in unison, laugh, the awkward silence shattering comfortably.

“You too,” Leah says through her laughter, nodding at Iara’s short, short skirt. "Really, thanks, though."

“It’s good,” Iara replies. “You can’t drive up to my house if you’re not with my parents or me, so it was easier this way."

Leah frowns as she fiddles with the stereo. “What d’you mean?”

“There’s a lot of security around my house, so I would’ve had to drive to meet you at the gate anyway.”

Leah hums and settles on a station. Pop plays in the background, and Iara unconsciously bops her head to the rhythm. “Can I ask what kind?” Leah says. She quickly amends, “Only if that’s not rude.”

Iara laughs her concern off. "It's okay; it's not a secret or anything." She turns her blinker off and honks at the guy in front of them as she merges onto the highway. "There's an electric grid 50 feet high and fifty feet across surrounding the property. That's to keep things out."

Leah makes a noise like she's choking, and Iara laughs, "Yeah, it's a bit much. Then there's an inner wall ten feet high. The motion sensors on their cameras turn the alarm on. That's to keep us in."

Leah whistles. “That’s a lot.” She pauses and thinks Iara’s words over. “Why’d you need to keep things in?”

Iara looks at Leah through the side of her eyes to see if the other girl is joking. There’s no malice on her face, only curiosity.

“You haven’t heard my tragic backstory?” Iara asks, coy but also sure most of their town knew what happened behind her family's doors.

Leah barks out a laugh and replies caustically, “Have you heard mine? You first.”

Iara sighs, "My mum got sick after I was born. She's been diagnosed with everything, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety," she counts off on the fingers of her right hand. "They’ve tried to treat her for everything, but it doesn't work. She's too scared to leave the house or see other people, but when she sees or hears things, sometimes she'll run after them. Dad wanted her safe but free." Iara looks to Leah, “Freedom is important to him.”

“So, the fence keeps animals and people out, and the wall keeps mom in and her dignity intact. We have live-in security and caretakers, but they're usually quiet and out of the way cause they make mom anxious. But it all keeps us safe and happy, and that's why we moved out to Forks in the first place."

Leah can't understand having the ability or money to do so much for the ones she loves, but she can appreciate a bone-deep desire to preserve one's freedom and dignity. This Leah can understand because how could she not, so she nods.

The car is silent, both of the girls lost in thought until Iara interrupts it. “Your turn,” she says, lightly.

Leah’s expression turns cagey for a moment, but she rallies quickly, remembering Iara’s blunt honesty. "Dead dad, I can't get drunk, and my cousin stole my fiancé," she lists off, deadpan.

Iara’s face goes slack as she shuffles through emotions, trying to settle on one. She decides on wheezing disbelief as she breaks into laughter, and her shoulders shake. Leah’s almost offended, but Iara turns half-way in the driver’s seat- completely unsafely- and says, “Babe, what the fuck?”

It makes Leah tumble into laughter as well, and for once, she feels light and free.

"I heard about your dad. That sucks; I'm sorry," Iara continues. "And we can come back to your bitch of a cousin later, but can we focus on what really matters?”

Confused, Leah nods.

“You can’t get drunk?” Iara demands in outrage.

“My metabolism is crazy high,” Leah gives Iara the explanation her mother had given her.

Iara swerves across the highway, and Leah squawks, grabbing the armrest in protest. Iara takes the exit, hushing Leah's questions until they pull into the parking lot of a dingy liquor store. Iara turns in her seat again. This time, Leah mirrors her. "Okay, how high?"

Leah grimaces. “Like very high?” she offers.

Iara scoffs and slams the car door open. "Wait here," she orders Leah. She lets her skirt ride up an extra inch and flips her hair over one shoulder, exposing her neck, before walking into the store.

Four minutes later, she walks back out with two bottles of Everclear. She snaps the cap off one and hands it to Leah.

“You start drinking,” Iara demands as she starts the car. “If this doesn’t get you drunk, I’ll throw myself in the harbor.”

Leah drinks.

Thirty minutes later, Iara parks outside New Moon Tavern, and Leah, already three shots past drunk, offers her a drink. Allowing for her slower metabolism, Iara takes three quick drinks and lets them warm her.

The girls don’t remember much of their night after that.


	2. S is for Stalker

She wakes to an unyielding pounding on their hotel door. Her head is throbbing, and when she reaches out to pat around for her phone, her hand lands on a warm body. She immediately recoils and takes a deep breath trying to will her hangover down until she can assess her situation.

Iara peeks one eye open and looks down at herself- she's naked save her panties, and there's a line of black sharpie tally marks down her arm. She peeks the other eye open and notes that the snoring man next to her looks very stereotypical blonde-man attractive and that he’s lucky enough to sleep through the noise.

Leah’s still asleep on the sofa, so Iara gently slips out of bed, grabs the man's shirt from the ground, and pads to the door. Throwing it open, she's ready to snarl at whichever poor soul was at their door, but she stops short at the sight of three large tanned men.

She groans and thumps her head against the door frame.

“Are you stalking me?” Iara asks.

Seth's eyes widen, and he immediately protests her accusation.

One of the men sends her a smile he probably thinks is placating but comes off as condescending instead. "Ms. Alaa, we were worried about Leah. She wasn't answering her phone."

Iara considers him for a moment, and then the pieces click together, "Oh!" she exclaims. "You're the asshole ex that left her for her cousin. Sam, right?"

Sam’s eyes narrow at her in a quick flash of anger, but he smooths the look away at the same time that the other man growls deeply. “I’m Sam Uley.” He gestures to the man next to him. “This is Jacob.”

Jacob sticks out his hand tentatively. He's nervous, and she's not sure why, but when he introduces himself again, "Jacob Black," she feels enough pity for this weird stalker to accept it.

“Iara,” she greets with a quick firm shake. She doesn’t linger, but as she runs her eyes over him, she notes that he looks much softer and younger than Sam. He’s just as pretty, muscular, and tall as Sam, but there’s something about him that feels kind. The lines around his eyes look less like results of worry and stress and more like echoes of laughter and sunshine.

"So," she says, drawing the word out rudely. "What do you want?"

Sam sighs, and Iara’s annoyed that he has the audacity to act like she’s the unreasonable one for wanting to sleep her hangover off in peace.

“We’re looking for Leah,” he repeats.

Iara shrugs a shoulder, “Okay, and?”

Sam sighs again. “Is she here?”

She rolls her eyes at him. "I'll check," she says and promptly shuts the door in his face. She has a fleeting wish that it would smack him in the face- but she reminds herself that she wants to be a doctor and that there was some rule about doing no harm.

She taps Leah on the shoulder, hoping to wake the other girl gently. When that doesn’t work, she resorts to tugging at her arm and hissing, “ _leah, wake the fuck up, those creeps from the diner are here, and I refuse to deal with them alone.”_

Leah pops awake in one quick, enviably graceful motion. Her eyes are wide as she processes Iara’s words.

“Fuck,” Leah hisses, looking down at herself and sighing in relief when she finds her clothes firmly in place. She then notices the man, still sleeping peacefully, on the bed and hisses again, “Fuck.”

Iara sighs and gestures towards the door. They both walk over silently and pause, unwilling to deal with the intrusions. Finally, Leah sighs heavily and opens the door, neatly sliding her body between the crack, leaving Iara out of view.

Iara can’t hear much of their hissed conversation, but she can tell it’s angry and unkind from their tones. She's about to step in when Leah turns back and tugs the door open. She stands in front of the group of men, with her shoulders hunched defensively.

“They’re gonna give me a ride back to La Push,” she says, all signs of good cheer from last night, long gone.

Iara’s brow furrows as she purses her lips. She leans in and grabs Leah’s wrist, tugging her closer gently. Iara looks at the group of men and dismisses Seth as a threat immediately. Jacob tries to smile gently under her perusal, but she's not impressed.

“Leah,” she says, ignoring the men. “If you feel unsafe with them, I can help you.”

Later, Leah will find many things sweet about Iara’s offer- _because when was the last time someone stood up for her with no conditions attached?-_ but at the moment, she's mostly impressed that Iara isn't cowed by men twice her size.

She pats Iara gently on the knuckles and responds, "No, thank you, though. But I'll be fine with these idiots."

Iara is unconvinced. She says nothing, though, knowing there is a place and time to reach out to survivors. Instead, she nods tightly.

Jacob nudges Leah gently with his shoulder.

Looking uncomfortable, as if the words were ordered out of her, Leah asks, "Why don't you ride back with us."

Iara automatically shakes her head no. She pulls the door open completely and leans against the frame, inadvertently exposing the sleeping man in her bed. Jacob makes a sound deep and low in his throat, and when Iara looks at him, he’s just barely shaking.

"Who's that?" Sam scoldingly asks Leah.

Iara jumps in quickly, hoping to defuse the sudden tension. “That’s who I brought home last night. Leah slept in the attached sitting room.”

Her defense of Leah does not have the desired effect. Jacob tenses even more than she thinks is possible, and Seth wrings his hands nervously.

“Anyways, I drove here, so I’ve got to drive back.”

Jacob, still slightly tremoring, asks, “Is the little blue car out front yours?”

Iara nods suspiciously. "Yeah, the one that looks like a suburban mom drives her four kids to soccer practice in it with?"

Jacob laughs, and Iara notes that despite his weird tendency of growling and his shitty taste in friends, his voice is gorgeous, and his laughter leaves her warm.

"Yeah, we saw it on the way in. One of its tires is flat."

Iara knows that her car is serviced every six months, whether or not she's in town to drive it, and immediately considers calling the cops. She'd give up a full year's coffee if these guys didn't have something to with her suddenly flat tire.

"Is it?" she asks dubiously. "I wonder what the security cameras would show happened to them," she says in an aside to Leah. Seth goes pale quickly, and Jacob's ears turn bright red. She refrains from calling them out on their bullshit only because she doesn't want her attitude to blowback on Leah and instead says, "I'll just call a cab then."

“That’s so expensive!” Seth exclaims with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Iara shrugs again. It would be easier to stick to her guns if she didn’t have to be mean around the human version of sweet puppy.

“I’m sure my dad won’t mind,” she says, not unkindly to Seth.

Sam speaks up, voice tight and annoyed, “I have to insist.”

Iara snorts and opens her mouth to say something snarky, but Leah cuts in. “Iara, please.” Her voice isn’t scared, but it is tired, and that worries Iara just as much.

She sighs and nods her head. She slides back into their room and grabs her phone and purse, stopping to scribble a little note on a napkin for the guy in her bed. She didn’t remember the night too well, but she did remember having fun.

"Okay, let's go," she says when she leaves the room, shutting it behind her gently. She winds her arm with Leah's, pulling her away from the weird stand-off she was in with Sam. They fall into step with Jacob and Seth, leaving Sam trotting behind them awkwardly.

Jacob smiles at her softly and gestures to her purse. “Want me to carry that?” he asks.

Iara looks down at her pink sequined clutch and laughs. "Yeah, here," she says, handing it to him.

He grins widely and pulls the shoulder chain from its hook. He winds it around his neck, but he's so broad that it sits in between his pecs like a weirdly positioned fanny pack. She laughs again, and this time Leah joins in.

“I might keep it,” Jacob says, teasing.

“It looks better on you,” Iara concedes as they reach an old, blue pick-up. There’s a black motorcycle parked next to it.

She must've been staring for too long because Jacob notices and taps her shoulder. "That one's mine," he says, pointing to the motorcycle. "Are you okay riding a bike?" he asks. She's only wearing a stolen t-shirt and thin panties. She points this out to him. He scrubs the back of his neck sheepishly. He leans into the cab of the truck and fumbles around for a moment, coming out with a pair of sweats that is several sizes too big for her.

“I think Leah and Sam are gonna want to talk, so they’ll take the truck if that’s okay,” Jacob says.

Iara looks at Leah's uncomfortable form in askance, but at the other girl's nod of agreement, she sighs. This is starting to feel like a set-up, but at least she knows that her parents would avenge her death.

( _She may have also texted their family's security the boys' names and locations. She wasn't going to make it_ easy for _them to get away with murder.)_

She slips on the sweats and then steps up to the bike, considering how she'd get her short form onto it. She's about to try a leaping start when two hands sit low on her waist and begin to lift her. She shrieks immediately and turns halfway. Jacob stumbles and lets her slide from his hands.

“Don’t fucking touch me without asking,” she says firmly.

He looks so confused, and Iara wonders if the boy has ever heard of the word _‘consent’_ before because she is not impressed.

“I was just-“ he starts.

“Just nothing,” she cuts him off. “Don’t go around touching people without asking first.”

He nods sheepishly as his shoulders slump further.

The ride home is silent, save Iara’s terse directions. When they turn onto the winding road that leads Iara’s front gate, she taps his shoulder a few times until he pulls to stop. The security cameras turn unobtrusively, and she's glad to know someone is watching their conversation.

“Thanks for the ride,” Iara says, not too grateful but still civil.

Jacob peeks over the gate and pauses, noticing the distance she'd have to walk home.

“I can drive you up to your door?” he offers, scratching the back of his neck.

She laughs and shakes her head. "Jacob, let me level with you. I'm pretty sure you're in a gang and stalking me." I'm not letting you past my gate." He starts to protest, but she cuts him off, "I'm going to give you the chance to tell me what you want right now."

Jacob doesn't say anything, as he bites his lip and wishes sincerely that she was more inclined to trust him the way Jared and Sam promised that their imprints tended to.

She's tapping her foot as she waits for him to come up with a lie, but none come forth in a timely enough manner for her hungover patience.

“Is this about the shirtless gang you’re in?”

Jacob sputters and shakes his head wildly, babbling about reservation security and high school classes.

“Just because my mom can make drugs doesn’t mean I’m gonna get you them.”

"What? No! I'm not in a gang," he exclaims. "And I don't do drugs."

Iara raises an eyebrow skeptically and points out the wolfpack tattoo he and his friends all have.

_(She also notes that he must be a very dull high schooler if he’s so aggressively opposed to drugs.)_

“Sure,” she says, condescending and cranky. “Well, if you don't want to tell me what's up, that's cool, but if I see you following me again, I'll call the cops. Then I'll file a restraining order against you."

Jacob reels back at the thought of his imprint rejecting him so openly.

"No, no, that's not it!" he promises. "Look, I can't tell you what's going on yet; you just have to trust me."

Iara wrinkles her nose and frowns. "Dude, who even are you? I definitely don’t trust you.”

"Please?" he implores.

Iara turns around, ignoring him, and sticks her palm against the gate's reader. It beeps and clicks opens. She's about to slide through when he begs, “Come to the bonfire on Sunday! Leah will be there, and we’ll explain everything. I won’t bother you ever again after that if you want.”

She sighs heavily. She doesn’t want to get Leah in trouble by having this weird gang member arrested unless she has no other option.

Turning partially, wishing desperately she’d never left her house this summer in the first place, she concedes, “I’ll come by.”

Jacob tries to suppress a shout of victory, but he can’t stop a bright, blinding grin from shining through.

"But," she stresses. "If Leah isn't there, I'm out immediately."

He nods eagerly, "I promise you won't regret this!"

Iara ignores him and shuts the gate firmly behind her. She needed some Motrin before she could even begin to process how her drunken night out had devolved into this kind of fuckery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helllooo! ok so im gonna clarify some timeline things bc ive had to fuck with it make it work for me and Iara. Bella gets the two motorcycles and decides to be friends w jacob in January the way she does in the books. BUT they hang out for five months before jacob shifts. So when this story starts its only been two weeks since jacob starts shifting and Iara is home from uni for the summer. Bella doesn't know that he's a wolf and laurent hasn't come thru yet. THIS IS IMPORTANT BC IARA IS GONNA HANG OUT W LAURENT. alsoooo jacob is the sameish age as bella (18) and Iara is 19.
> 
> anywho pls comment/kudo/read idk and lmk what you think. i def live for your feedback so pls do thank you so much for reading ily


	3. C is for Colonization

He smells her before he sees her, her scent of spices and the forest washes over him like waves. He almost drops the logs he’s carrying to the fire pit in his excitement as he turns around to find her. She’s walking down from the direction of Second Beach and he briefly panics that she parked out so far away until he realizes he can offer to walk her back safely.

He drops the logs quickly and shoves lightly at Seth to move the kid out of his way, before bounding over to her and relieving her of the platter.

“Hey!” he greets brightly.

Iara’s taken back by his enthusiasm for moment but recovers quickly at his sweet smile.

“Hey stalker, thanks for the invite,” she replies with a smile. She thinks he’s sweet and smells like sunshine, even if he’s a bit weird and probably in a gang.

“I’m not a st-“ he begins to protest, but cuts himself off when he notices she’s just teasing. He bumps her shoulder with his in retaliation, chuckling deep from his chest when she stumbles a little and scowls up at him.

“You’re a lot weird, dude,” she states, referring to his casual stalking.

Jacob shrugs. He can’t deny that he has been acting creepy lately.

“Where’s Leah?” she asks letting him lead her to towards where people were congregated.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously, not wanting to give up his time with her yet. _Did imprints usually feel more comfortable with a pack sister than their own wolf?_ he wonders.

Leah’s head pops up, her wolf hearing giving her a front row seat to their conversation even from fifty feet away and is about to stand. A sharp growl of disapproval from Sam makes her duck her head and pretend to be in a deep text conversation on her phone.

“Oh, she’s over there.” Jacob points in her general direction. “She’s been texting someone all night, though,” he lies.

Iara raises an eyebrow, but nods, nonetheless. “I’ll go say hi,” she says.

“Let me introduce you to everyone first,” Jacob pleads immediately before she can so much as step away from him.

Iara rolls her eyes at his obvious deflection but smiles kindly when he introduces her to Sue and Harry Clearwater. She makes conversation and Jacob is amazed at how quickly Harry takes to her. She has him making conversation about his new medication and Iara even suggests some meat based substitutes that he could still eat without making Sue pull her hair out in frustration.

Jacob looks around trying to find someone to introduce her to that she’d like. His eyes land on where Emily and Kim are setting up the buffet.

 _Iara was definitely more comfortable with Leah than she was with him, so maybe she wasn’t used to being around guys?_ Jacob guesses.

“Hey, let’s go put this down by the food,” he says after he makes their excuses and pulls her away from the Clearwaters.

“Yeah, okay,” Iara replies, pleasantly warm from the fire. She’s not as tan as Jacob and his brothers, but he likes how he can never see her blush, even when he can hear her heart speed up.

They walk to the foldup tables and Jacob briefly notes that Iara walks languidly, like she knows she belongs, and with more confidence than Bella ever did. He tries to bat the thought away, his wolf seething at him for comparing their imprint to another woman.

Emily sees him, nods subtly towards Iara and drags Kim over to say ‘ _hello.’_

“Iara!” Emily greets and quickly pulls the other girl into a tight hug. “I’ve heard so much about you!”

Iara is stiff in Emily’s arms and pulls away abruptly. She smiles tightly and Jacob tenses as well. He feels a frisson down his spine as Iara’s mood shifts to something less amiable and more predatory. His wolf sits up and leans forward, liking their imprint’s sharp teeth.

“Heard a lot about you too,” Iara offers. She looks Emily up and down, judging every inch of her. Her eyes don’t catch on Emily’s scars, but regardless, she’s clearly unimpressed.

She looks pointedly at Emily’s left hand and starts with a pleasant smile that Jacob pegs as fake, “That’s a beautiful ring.”

Emily, who’d previously been taken aback by Iara’s perusal, begins to grin. She raises her left hand and flutters it lightly, placing it above her heart. Jacob wants to warn her, but it’s too late. His wolf snuffles eagerly.

“Did Sam give you the same one her proposed to Leah with?” Iara continues, still smiling. She’s speaking quietly, not to draw attention to herself or their conversation, but her tone is cutting.

Emily’s face drops so quickly Jacob would have found it funny if everyone hadn’t gone silent from trying to listen in. The only noise for a moment is Paul’s sudden howl of shocked laughter.

Emily stutters and Jacob hears Sam growl from behind them. He instinctively moves to protect Iara from Sam but is also fiercely hoping Sam’s sudden presence will stop this train wreck before it gets worse.

“Iara,” Jacob whispers pleading for her to stop.

But, Iara isn’t done.

“I did some research you know,” she continues conversationally, leaning over to grab a lemon bar and taking a dainty bite. She chews and swallows, letting the silence draw out. “The Makah res school went digital a few years ago so I peeked at your records.”

She looks at Kim and smiles, less fake, but still vicious. “My dad taught me a lot about computers,” she explains.

“Your grades were mediocre, and your guidance counselor didn’t put much faith in a career for you. Teachers said you were quiet with few friends. A nobody really,” Iara says, ignoring the many, many people watching her breathlessly. “Must have been rough for you, with Leah always doing better in school, always being better at sports, always being prettier and funnier and smarter.”

There are tears in Emily’s eyes and Sam is glaring at Iara viciously. Emily whimpers out some excuse and Sam orders, “Don’t speak on what you don’t understand, girl.” Jacob tugs at Iara’s sleeve helplessly, even as he instinctively makes himself larger to challenge Sam.

Iara ignores him, “Did it make you feel really good to take something from Leah?”

“That’s not what happened,” Emily says weakly, tears dripping down her unscarred cheek. Iara hums dismissively. She turns her head to look around and the stilted conversations that had been previously dropped, start up quickly.

Iara turns to Kim and Jared reflexively stands to come defend his imprint, expecting more tears. Iara however seems to have finished choosing violence. “Kim, right?” she asks.

Kim nods uncertainly, shooting a nervous glance at Emily and Sam.

“I used to tutor your little brother for geometry,” Iara says. “Max’s a smart kid.”

Kim smiles, relieved that she’s not Iara’s next victim, “Yeah! Were you the tutor that played basketball with him?”

Iara throws her head back laughing. “I wouldn’t say I played, honestly. I think I got the ball from Max once.”

Sam pulls Jacob aside and hisses at him about his imprint’s behavior, but Iara ignores Jacob’s absence and continues to speak with Kim. They plan a trip up to Port Angeles and exchange phone numbers, as Emily tucks herself into Sam’s side and sniffles. Kim adores her little brother and Iara is very good at being likeable when she isn’t tearing someone apart.

This continues until his dad settles down and calls everyone to the circle.

Before Jacob can come claim a spot next to Iara, she quickly skips into the space between Leah and Seth. Jacob sighs and settles at her feet, pouting. “I wanted to sit next to you,” he whines, looking up at her.

Iara laughs, lowly, puts her hands in his hair and tugs lightly. “And I wanted to sit next to Leah, stalker,” she replies.

He chuckles and lets himself relax at the way her nails scratch at the nape of his neck as she plays with his hair. She leans forward as Billy begins to speak, but eventually settles back on the log she’s sharing with the Clearwaters. He follows her motions with his torso, the same way sunflowers follow light. He’s so caught up in the feeling of her hands that he barely hears Leah speak, even with his enhanced senses.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Leah whispers.

Iara shuffles towards Leah a bit and loosens a hand from Jacob’s hair. She reaches over to grasp tightly at Leah’s.

“Yeah, I did,” Iara says simply, as if it was a fact and everyone should have known better than to expect that she wouldn’t.

Leah doesn’t let go of Iara’s hand as his dad weaves the tales of Taha Aki and the Third Wife. He doesn’t complain, though, as he can hear the steady thump of her heart and feel her hair tickle his shoulders when she leans forward at a particularly compelling bit of lore.

Jake’s only started transforming a few weeks ago, but he’s felt like his insides have been burning up, leaving him breathless for a lot longer. But here, even with the heat of Iara behind him and the bonfire in front of him, it’s finally cool enough to breathe.

xxx

The moon is high and full when she yawns for the third time in five minutes. Jake nudges his way into the conversation she’s been having- pointedly excluding Emily- with Leah and Kim.

“Hey, wanna get out of here,” he asks, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Iara looks at her phone and wrinkles her nose when she realizes how late it is. She says goodbye to the girls quickly, and shuffles over to him.

“Lead the way home, stalker,” she says, straightening her shirt.

Jake makes a face and she laughs. “Can we not call me that?” he begs.

She pretends to consider it, but shakes her head no. He sighs, dragging her over to his dad to say goodbye.

“Mr. Black, thanks for letting me come tonight,” she says, politely. She stops a foot away from him and drops onto a log so she can speak to him without looking down at him. He appreciates how she does so without drawing extra attention to his wheelchair.

“Iara, please, call me Billy,” he says, looking at Jake where he’s standing behind her, leaning over her shoulders, with approval, before considering Iara carefully. “I knew your mother.”

Iara tilts her head to the right and tries to recall hearing about the Blacks from her parents. “Mrs. Sarah, right?” she asks, cautiously. Jacob’s hands tighten on her, but loosen immediately when she looks back at him.

Billy smiles wistfully, “Yes.”

“Ma loved painting with her,” Iara offers.

“You look a lot like her,” Billy says.

Iara laughs and tucks some hair behind her ears. “I hope I act like her too,” she says. “She’s the best person I know.”

Billy nods in agreement and says to Jacob, “Maya’s the smartest woman I’ve ever met,” referring to Iara’s mom. “Where are you at school now?” Billy asks.

“Cambridge.”

Jake’s hands tighten on her shoulders again and Billy’s brow furrows quickly before smoothing out.

“For what?”

Iara leans forward, loving any chance to speak about what she’s studying. “It’s a joint program in medicine and biomedical engineering! I’ve one more year of medical subjects before I switch to engineering classes and clinicals.”

Billy hums. “Like your mother, then?”

“Yup!” Iara replies brightly, popping the ‘p’.

“I know she’s very proud of you,” Billy says, kindly. His eyes become a little hazy as he continues, “Sarah would be happy that you found your way.”

Iara leans forward and grips his hand with a smile. She doesn’t say anything, but Billy doesn’t seem to mind.

Jake clears his throat. “Dad, I’m gonna walk her back to her car.” He’s trying to convey something deeper to Billy that Iara misses.

Patting Iara’s hand, he releases her and says goodbye.

Iara lets Jake help her up and they start walking back to Second Beach.

“So,” Jake starts, looking at her slyly. “Have fun?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says rolling her eyes. “It was a good time, you were right.”

He pumps his fist in the air and she laughs at his antics.

“A good enough time to hang out again?” he asks carefully.

“Depends on if you’re going to tell me what’s really up or not.”

Jake groans.

She clears her throat pointedly and he tries to ignore her, but she stays firm. “You made a promise Jacob Black.”

He sighs.

“Does it really matter?” he asks. “Does it matter why I wanted to hang out with you if we’re having fun now?”

Iara takes a moment to really consider his question. _Does it?_ She wonders, humming lowly. “I heard you were following Bella Swan around like a puppy, like last month,” she says honestly.

Jake immediately tries to explain himself but Iara’s not too concerned.

“That’s cool,” she promises. “But now you’ve jumped to being obsessed with me. Also, you guys are fun and all, but this is definitely some kind of gang. It all feels pretty dramatic and I don’t want to be around drama unless I know what’s happening.”

He sighs again. She smacks him on the arm and winces at how little give there is.

“Did you like the legends tonight?” he asks suddenly.

She groans at his sudden diversion, but replies honestly, “Yeah, they were great. I’ve always loved hearing about other cultures and their stories. Your tribe follows the oral traditions, right?” she asks. He nods distractedly. “Yeah, so, I couldn’t ever find that much information about Quileute legends before.”

“What if they weren’t just legends?” he asks.

She frowns. “They aren’t just legends, Jake,” she agrees. He turns to her quickly in surprise. “There’s probably plenty of truth to the stories, just in subtle ways. Maybe the pale faces are a reference to white colonials that brought over diseases,” she offers.

His face drops. “Not like that,” he grumbles. “What if the tribe could actually shift into wolves?”

She hasn’t noticed that he’s leading her towards the tree line and later Jake will curse his imprint’s total lack of situational awareness and look up ways to subtly train some into her.

She laughs. “I guess I’d ask if I can study you. Maybe get some blood samples?”

He pulls her to a stop right in front of the tree line and she stumbles when she realizes how far from the path they are.

“Jake, what-?”

“Iara, no, listen. What if I could shift into a wolf?”

She looks nervous and he can tell she’s trying to find a good way to tell him he’s crazy. She laughs cautiously. “Are you sure you don’t just want those drugs from my mom?”

“Iara, I’m serious.”

She watches him carefully, then crosses her arms and says, “Prove it.”

He nods sharply and pulls her deep in the forest. They walk in silence for a few minutes and he can tell she’s getting frustrated, so before she can complain, he stops.

“Stay there,” he orders. She doesn’t argue at being told what to do, which is more concerning than reassuring.

He ducks behind a tree and strips quickly. Breathing deeply, he shifts and begins to shuffle out slowly. When she catches sight of him, she stumbles back, shrieking lowly. He whines and ducks his head carefully, trying to show her he means no harm.

“Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck,” she’s cursing under her breath and her nails are digging so deeply into her palms that Jake can smell blood.

He whines again and plops down on the forest soil, trying to look at submissive as he can. He’s the second largest wolf in the pack already, so he’s not very successful.

Iara looks between him and then to the tree he shifted behind in quick succession, before falling to the ground as if too tired to stand. She moans deeply and continues to curse under her breath. She sticks her head between her legs and sits shaking.

Finally, she squares her shoulders, takes a few deep inhales and looks at him. “Jake, if that’s you, wave your paw at me.”

He narrows his eyes at her and sighs, disgruntled, but like an idiot, waves his right paw at her slowly. She giggles, slightly hysterical.

“Okay now your other paw.”

He waves his left paw.

“Now shake your butt.”

He stands and glares at her even as she laughs. He slowly pads his way over to her, giving her time to shriek away in fear, but she doesn’t move. He plops in front of her, letting his head fall in near her legs. She reaches out with a shaking hand to pet him.

 _‘His fur is soft,’_ she notes to herself, dazed.

“Holy fuck,” she says again, while he purrs contentedly. “Can the others do this?” she asks. He nods. “Sam and the others?” he nods again. She pauses. “Leah?” she asks incredulously. He turns his wolfy eyes to her and rolls them deliberately. He nods.

“Holy fuck.” She doesn’t stop petting his head, so he relaxes back into her lap. They sit in silence until she gasps. He looks around quickly trying to find the threat, but there’s nothing around them aside from an owl two trees over and the fireflies that buzz contentedly. He turns to her in question. “I’m going to run so many tests on you!”

Jacob doesn’t need to hear Sam screaming in his head to know that Iara's going to drive the other man insane. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys hello heres a quick update!! idk what it is but whichever fandom I'm obsessed at the time is the easiest fandom to update my stories for. I'm really not feeling any inspo for my other stories at the moment tho so I'm taking requests to see if anything inspires me so please please leave me some!
> 
> as always i hope u enjoy what you read! i love my readers and live for ur comments/kudos/bookmarks (deadass look through the lil tags that people bookmark me under its amazing) 
> 
> next chap is the a leah/laurent/iara scene and an exciting council meeting!!! plus a fun sneaky peak of bella being... bella???

**Author's Note:**

> uh did i think ab writing this last night and then wake up and immediately do so? yes i did. 
> 
> im on a twilight kick rn for some reason but i have so many issues with twilight that I shall now be able to address and roast so this is probably a spite fic. so im coming for edward bc sneaking into someones room at night is not a vibe, and sam bc just bc he abused emily in wolf form doesnt mean its not abuse so this too is not a vibe and also s meyer bc wtf girl
> 
> I haven't decided on Iara's pairing yet so don't come for me if it doesnt end up Leah/Iara but I highly doubt itll be Iara/Jacob even though he imprinted on her
> 
> As always please lmk what you think and if you think this is worth continuing! i live for your reviews/kudos/bookmarks... much love and sending good vibes your way!!!


End file.
